Articles — Ascensus

The Sarbanes-Oxley Blackout Notice and Its Requirements

What is a Sarbanes-Oxley blackout notice? What is a blackout period? What information must be included in the blackout notice? What are the potential consequences of not providing a timely blackout notice?

expert, IRAAscensusNovember 21, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRA, Beneficiary, Distribution, Q&A

HSA Eligibility and What Makes a Health Plan HSA-Compatible

Who can establish an HSA? What are the requirements for a health plan to be considered HSA-compatible? If health plan coverage begins midmonth, when would someone be HSA-eligible?

HSA, expertAscensusOctober 17, 2019Compliance & Operations, HSA, Contribution, Eligibility, Q&A

Employers Should Use Caution When Excluding Certain Employees from a Plan

Can employers exclude certain employees from a 401(k) plan? What should they consider? What if excluding a class of employees causes a plan to fail coverage testing and how can a plan failure be corrected if a group of employees was improperly excluded?

How to Distribute an IRA When the Primary Beneficiary Dies

How are beneficiary payouts affected when a primary beneficiary dies after the IRA owner? How about when a primary beneficiary dies before the IRA owner?

IRA, expertAscensusSeptember 19, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRA, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Beneficiary, Distribution, Q&A

Multiple Factors Affect the New Comparability Profit Sharing Formula

What is the new comparability profit sharing formula? Find out how an employee’s compensation, plan document provisions, and changes in the employer’s workforce affect the calculation.

Employer Plan, expertAscensusSeptember 19, 2019Compliance & Operations, Retirement Plan, Contribution, Q&A

IRA Rollovers and How Timing Restrictions Apply

Can an IRA owner roll over more than one distribution into an IRA in one year? If not, is there another way to retain the assets in a retirement account? What is the 12-month period for purposes of the one-per-12-month rule?

IRA, expertAscensusAugust 15, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRA, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Conversion, Distribution, Rollover, Q&A

Effects of Military Service on a Retirement Plan

Can employees make up missed contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan for the time they were called to active military duty? Can a plan sponsor adopt special distribution options for employees called to active military duty? Are there special allowances for loan repayments for an employee called to active military duty?

Employer Plan, expertAscensusAugust 15, 2019Compliance & Operations, Retirement Plan, Contribution, Distribution, Loan, Military, Q&A

Answers to Your Questions About HSA Qualified Medical Expenses

Can an individual’s HSA assets be used to pay for her spouse’s medical expenses if the spouse does not have an HSA? Can an HSA owner who is no longer covered under an HDHP still use HSA assets to pay for qualified medical expenses?

HSA, expertAscensusJuly 18, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRS, HSA, Distribution, Notices, Q&A

How Employers Can Use Plan Forfeiture Funds

What is a forfeiture account in a qualified retirement plan and how can the employer use forfeiture account funds?

How the 60-Day Rollover Waiver Self-Certification Works; Nonspouse Beneficiary Portability Options

Can an IRA owner make a rollover contribution after the 60-day rollover deadline? How can a nonspouse beneficiary move inherited IRA or plan assets?

IRA, expertAscensusJune 20, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRA, IRS, Beneficiary, Rollover, Q&A

IRS Retirement Plan Correction Program Expanded

Why are the recent changes to the IRS retirement plan correction program important? What are the changes to the EPCRS?

Understanding the Roth IRA Five-Year Rules

Does a Roth IRA owner have to wait five years before taking a Roth IRA distribution? What are the five-year waiting periods as they apply to Roth IRA distributions and how do they differ?

expert, IRAAscensusMay 16, 2019Compliance & Operations, IRA, Roth IRA, Distribution, Tax, Q&A

Automatic Enrollment Options

What options are there for adding an automatic enrollment feature to a 401(k) plan? What happens if an employee is not enrolled in the plan’s automatic enrollment feature?

Minors Owning IRAs

Can a minor own an IRA? Why would a minor want to own an IRA? Can a minor inherit an IRA? Are there any special distribution options?

Leased Employees in Qualified Retirement Plans

Who are leased employees? Is the recipient employer’s qualified retirement plan required to cover leased employees? If leased employees are covered, how does the recipient employer make contributions?

Family Coverage Does Not Mean “Family” HSA

Is a family HSA allowed? Can a family HSA be changed to a single HSA? Can an HSA be moved to a spouse’s HSA? What happens to an HSA once the HSA owner is no longer eligible?

HSA, expertAscensusMarch 21, 2019Compliance & Operations, HSA, Contribution, Eligibility, Q&A

Ineligible Contributions and Corrective Options

What causes an employer-sponsored retirement plan to have an ineligible contribution failure? What options are available for a plan to correct an ineligible contribution failure?

HSA and FSA: Two Distinctly Different Savings Plans

Is an HSA basically the same as an FSA? What are the advantages of contributing to either one? Can you contribute to both?

HSA, expertAscensusFebruary 21, 2019Compliance & Operations, HSA, Q&A